(Eagle News) — The Bureau of Immigration has reported a 79-percent drop in the number of travelers from abroad this year.
In a statement, the bureau said more than 3.5 million passengers arrived in the country from January to December 25, 2020, a 13-million decrease from the 16.7 million who came in 2019.
Morente said that of those who arrived this year, 2.03 million were Filipinos while 1.54 million were foreigners.
Last year, 8.7 million Filipinos and 7.9 million foreigners entered the country.
Candy Tan, bureau port operations division chief, said that from the 1.53-million arrivals recorded last January, the volume dropped to 858,859 in February and to 363,548 in March.
President Rodrigo Duterte issued a proclamation placing the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine on March 14.
Tan said that passenger arrival volume was more than 800,000 from April up to December, many of whom were returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were repatriated from their host countries.
“The number of foreigners who arrived have steadily increased from only 1,591 in April to almost 18,000 this December which is still very low compared to last year when foreigner arrivals averaged more than 700,000 a month,” Tan added, attributing the recent figures to the decision of the government to lift restrictions on the entry of balikbayans and their foreign spouses and children who are traveling with them.
Tan said more than 132,000 passengers arrived this December, which is 18 percent higher than those who came in October.
According to Morente, the overall drop in arrivals of travelers abroad in the country was not surprising, noting the overall decrease in international travel figures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bureau said according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism is “expected to decline over 70% in 2020, back to levels of 30 years ago.”
“We expect these passenger statistics to remain low perhaps until early next year. But we remain hopeful that the international travel sector recovers soon, especially once the vaccine reaches our shores and confidence in travel is restored,” he said.